Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has insisted that Britain's security is
directly linked to military operations in Afghanistan - amid continuing
fatalities among British troops.

Mr Brown remarks came as sent his condolences to the families and friends of the latest British servicemen killed in Afghanistan.

Two more British soldiers have been killed in combat in Helmand, Afghanistan, bringing the total so far this week to seven as coalition forces press ahead with Operation Panther's Claw.

The two men died in separate incidents in Helmand Province on the same day. Their deaths takes the total killed in the country to 178 since the start of operations in October 2001 - just one shy of the number killed in Iraq.

Speaking from the G8 Summit at L'Aquila in Italy, Mr Brown said: "This is a very hard summer. It is vital that the international community sees through its commitments.

"Our resolution to complete the work that we have started in Afghanistan and Pakistan is undiminished.

"We knew from the start that defeating the insurgency in Helmand would be a hard and dangerous job but it is vital."

He added: "There is a chain of terror that runs from the mountains and towns of Afghanistan to the streets of Britain.

"Having talked to (US) President (Barack) Obama and the rest of the world leaders, there is a recognition that this is a task the world has got to accept together and this is a task we have got to fulfil.

"People see the importance of winning the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan so that the battle against the terrorists does not come to the streets of our country."

Mr Brown noted that Britain had stepped up its military presence in Afghanistan to 9,000 troops ahead of the country's nationwide elections later this year.

In the first of the latest fatal incidents in Afghanistan, a soldier from 4th Battalion The Rifles was on foot patrol when he was killed by an explosion during fighting near Nad Ali yesterday afternoon.

In a second incident, a soldier from Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was killed by a gunshot wound as his unit battled with insurgent forces near Lashkar Gah yesterday evening.

Their next of kin have been informed of their deaths and further details are to be released.

A spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson said the deaths had brought great sadness.

“These fine British soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice and their memory will live with us forever. We mourn their loss and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this very sad time. We know that their deaths were not in vain,” he said.

It came as the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett welcomed home the bodies of the previous five sodliers to be killed in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal David Dennis, 29, from Llanelli, south Wales, of the Light Dragoons, and Private Robert Laws, 18, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, of 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment, died in separate incidents in Helmand on Saturday.

Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 22, originally from Zimbabwe but now living in Bridgend, south Wales, of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed in an explosion on Sunday.

Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 27, from Maidstone, Kent, of 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, died in a helicopter crash in Zabul Province on Monday.

Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20, from Blackpool, of The Light Dragoons, died in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device near Gereshk in Helmand on Tuesday. He was a talented swordsman who had hoped to qualify for the British fencing team for the 2012 Olympics in London.

A lone bugler played The Last Post as the men's coffins, each draped in a Union Flag, were taken off the plane.

Representatives from each of the soldiers' regiments were there to greet them.

The soldiers were taken to the chapel of rest at RAF Lyneham to allow their grieving families to spend time with them before being driven from the base in hearses.

The town centre of Wootton Bassett remained silent until the last of the hearses had been driven past.

Members of the soldiers' families chose to stand near the war memorial as flags were lowered as a mark of respect to those who had lost their lives.

Royal Army Service Corps veteran Bert Williams, 88, secretary of the Wiltshire branch of the Normandy Veterans' Association, said: "We see this as a farewell. It's nice to think people who serve their country are given such respect on their final journey.

"I think the more deaths there are, the more it's going to get to people. It's getting too much. We're supposed to be at peace with the world."

Operation Panther's Claw, which is now entering its third week, aims to stop insurgent movement between Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province, and the town of Gereshk and provide enough security for voting in next month's elections.

Despite the recent fatalities, Brig Tim Radford, the Commander of Task Force Helmand, has said that the troops on the ground were winning the battle with the Taliban.

"Morale and dedication are high," he said."And that is because, hour by hour and day by day, they can feel they are winning."